Nanoindentation response of zinc titanate thin films deposited by co-sputtering process

► We evaluated the nanoindentation response of zinc titanate films. ► The H, M, Rms, and Ra were altered based on grain growth and recovery. ► The annealing treatment induces weaker bonds and lower resistance at the film. In this study, ZnTiO3 films were grown by radio frequency magnetron co-sputtering using a sintered ceramic target on silicon substrates, we used nanoindenter techniques under a CSM mode to evaluate the hardness (H) and elastic modulus (E) of the films after annealing in temperature range of 520–820°C. The measured values of hardness and elastic moduli of the ZnTiO3 films were in the range from 8.5±0.4 to 5.6±0.4GPa and from 171±2.3 to 155±2.5GPa, respectively. It is evident that an increase in the roughness due to high annealing temperature using atomic force microscopy. The XRD patterns were observed that as-deposited films are mainly amorphous, however, the hexagonal ZnTiO3 phase was observed with the ZnTiO3 (104), (110), (116), and (214) peaks from 620 to 820°C, indicating that there is highly (104)-oriented ZnTiO3 on the silicon substrate. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy core level analysis of the ZnTiO3 films have been measured for O 1s that can be attributed the weaker bonds and lower resistance at the film based on the higher annealed temperature. The H, M, Rms, and Ra were altered due to the grain growth and recovery to result in a relax crystallinity at ZnTiO3 films.